A core teaching · grounding in mood · a little context helps
“Even the fulfilled keep working, because action need not come from lack.”
O Partha, there is nothing in the three worlds that I must do, and nothing I have not yet gained that must be gained. Yet I remain engaged in action.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallynot · for me · O Partha · there is · in the three · worlds · anything · not · not attained · to be attained · indeed · and · in action
Krishna says he has no unfinished duty and nothing left to gain, yet he still stays active.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Karma Yoga" (The Yoga of Action).
Verse 22 sits in Chapter 3 of the Bhagavad Gita — Karma Yoga, "The Yoga of Action". The chapter has 43 verses in total.
You’ve already won the argument in your head, but you still show up for the hard conversation. You do it not to get something, but because the action itself matters.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts action from personal gain to steady example and responsibility.
What this verse means
Krishna says he has no unfinished duty and nothing left to gain, yet he still stays active.
Context & commentary
On Kurukshetra, Arjuna is frozen before battle. Krishna explains why he himself still acts: not from need, but to guide the world. This verse turns Krishna into the model for action without craving.
Why this verse still matters
You’ve already won the argument in your head, but you still show up for the hard conversation. You do it not to get something, but because the action itself matters.
“Real freedom is not doing less; it is acting without inner lack.”
Explore related themes: karma yoga (55 verses), duty (13 verses)